There a are big dual meets during the high school wrestling season. Then are are BIG DUALS that are big deals with the outcomes being felt statewide.
While there are annual local rivalries which will determine division titles spread throughout late December and January, there are the monster matches that separate the contenders from pretender, come loaded with team tournament power points and impact statewide rankings.
The NJ.com wrestling staff has scoured the schedules and come up with the biggest, baddest, most impactful, must-see dual meets of the 2025-26 season.
Please keep scrolling to see them all.
Wednesday, Dec. 17
Toms River East at Jackson Township, 6: A dual worth watching to see what Jackson Township looks like after the merger of Memorial and Liberty. Gianni Ghione is at the helm of the new look Jaguars, who return three state qualifiers including state-placer Armani McCann at 138/144. Mark Gray, the brother of Cornell head coach Mike Gray, is the new head coach at Toms River East. Gray replaces Steve Giannios, who moved over to Brick Memorial. East, which was 11-12 last season, made it to the South 4 final where it lost to Toms River South. Rick DeLorenzo, fourth in the state at 126 last March, is the leader of the Raiders.
Kingsway at Clearview, 6: This battle of Rt. 322 is a rivalry in many sports and it could be really special in wrestling. Both these teams have several talented freshmen which means this is matchup that should be circled for the next few years as these program build themselves back into being state powers. Kingsway had three freshmen – 113-pounder Evan Villecco, 120-pounder Griffin Preziosi and 157-pounder Matthew Miranda win titles at the Vogeding Tournament at Paulsboro. Clearview’s Lucas Gandy (138) won a title at the Pete Adams Tournament at Vineland while Jason Hughes (120) upset state qualifier Calvin Parke of Middle Township.
Seneca at Rancocas Valley, 6: This should be an intriguing early-season matchup between Olympic Conference and Burlington County teams who are traditional playoff contenders. Both teams are balanced. The Golden Eagles return six region qualifiers including one state qualifier, while the Red Devils have five region qualifiers, one of which is a state qualifier.
Warren Hills at Hunterdon Central, 6: One of the Skyland Conference’s top rivalries, all eyes will be on the Red Devils, who have a new leader in charge in Ryan Manahan, just the fourth coach in program history as he looks to get Central back on track after a 4-19 season last year. The Red Devils lost state medalist Rhett Washleski to Immaculata while Warren Hills returns a state medalist of its own in Augie Szamreta. The two sides have split with each other the last two seasons so both are looking to start their dual meet seasons off with a bang.
Thursday, Dec. 18
No. 7 Southern at No. 12 North Hunterdon, 7: Southern, the defending Group 5 champs, is ranked No. 7 in the NJ.com Preseason Top 20 and North Hunterdon, which went 17-6 in its first season under former Bergen Catholic head coach Dave Bell, is No. 12. “It should be fun to watch a dual between two teams that compete for every single point North Hunterdon, the reigning Group 4 champs, return four state qualifiers led by two-time qualifiers Reid Buzby (32-12 in 2024-25) and Aidan Yarussi (38-7). For Southern, sophomore Cade Collins (40-10) was sixth in New Jersey last March at 106 and senior Anthony Mason (39-6) was fourth at 113. Three other state qualifiers are back — senior Attila Viglante (31-6 at 144), junior Nicholas Daddona (16-13 at 175) and junior Levi Foote (37-7 at 190). Southern defeated North Hunterdon last season, 55-18.
Saturday, Dec. 20
Middletown North and No. 9 Mount Olive at No. 18 Phillipsburg, 10: Phillipsburg may be in a little bit of a rebuild as 2025 opens. This tri-match, however, will certainly give a clearer picture of the state of the Stateliners. Phillipsburg, 17-4 last season and a runner-up in Group 4, is ranked No. 18 in the NJ.com Preseason Top 20, while No. 8 Mount Olive was 15-4. The balanced Marauders feature senior Anthony Piemonte, senior state medalist Nico Gonzalez, and star freshman Cole Rebels. Phillipsburg returns four state qualifiers, including two-time qualifiers Gavin Geleta (34-9 in 2024-25) and Owen Garriques (31-12) plus four other wrestlers who are back with 20-plus wins. Middletown North was 21-2 last season and a sectional finalist. It returns three state qualifiers — junior Thomas Blewett (106), Nichols Wall (150) and Daniel Benbrook (175).
Friday & Saturday, Jan. 2-3
Catholic School Duals at Christian Brothers: This isn’t a specific dual, but the third annual running of this tournament pits some of the state’s best squads against each other in the regular season. Think of it as an early Non-Public A tournament. The following NJ.com Top 20 teams will be on hand in Lincroft next month: No. 1 Delbarton, No. 2 St. Joseph (Mont.), No. 3 St. Peter’s Prep, No. 4 CBA, No. 6 Bergen Catholic, No. 16 Immaculata, No. 17 St. Augustine and No. 20 Red Bank Catholic. Holy Cross Prep, Seton Hall Prep, St. John Vianney and St. Thomas Aquinas are also in the field. We don’t know what the matchups are yet, but no matter how it shakes out, it’s going to be another fun two-day stretch at CBA where the state’s top teams will clash.
Saturday, Jan. 3
No. 7 Southern, High Point, West Essex at No. 9 Mount Olive, 9: These three squads will not waste any time getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break. High Point was 19-6 last season and is always a group contender. West Essex was 12-6. West Essex defeated High Point last season, 34-26. Southern overpowered both High Point (50-18) and Mount Olive (50-19) in last season’s quad.
No. 5 Camden Catholic, No. 8 Paramus Catholic, Don Bosco at Pope John, 8: These four non-public teams aren’t in the Catholic Duals but they are having their own little non-public quad match which should be competitive. These are Camden Catholic’s only duals outside its conference and probably the biggest test from a dual-meet perspective. Pope John isn’t ranked but does have a win over a ranked Immaculata team, meaning this might be a preview of the Non-Public B final for the second year in a row when it meets Camden Catholic.
Monday, Jan. 5
No. 14 Howell at No. 18 Phillipsburg, 6:30: Howell, ranked No. 14 in New Jersey by NJ.com, will get a chance to perform in a hostile environment when it goes to face the No. 18 Stateliners. Howell was 19-5 last season, however, expectations are high for the Rebels this winter. Howell is led by junior Tanner Hodgins. The Oklahoma State commit is ranked No. 2 in the nation, went 37-8 last season and placed No. 3 in the state at 175.
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Haddonfield at West Deptford: This might be the best all-sport rivalry in New Jersey – football, wrestling, field hockey, soccer, Tiddlywinks. Wrestling might be near the top of the list as these programs have competed for Colonial Conference division titles and South Jersey Group 2 titles over the last few decades. Haddonfield opened the season with eight titles at its own Ronald Bond tournament while West Deptford is 1-2 in the early going but its best days are ahead.
Wednesday, Jan. 7
No. 11 Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0) at No. 4 Christian Brothers (2-0), 6: RFH, the two-time defending Group 2 champions went 28-1 last season as is ranked No. 11 in the NJ.com Preseason Top 20. CBA, ranked No. 4, is loaded from top to bottom with a touted freshman class. Some experts around the state believe CBA can contend for the Non-Public A title later this season. CBA defeated Rumson-Fair Haven, 43-29, last season. There could be several interesting head-to-heads in the match. One, RFH’s Joaquin Duque (5th in the state) could take on either CBA’s returning state champ Paul Kenny or Bobby Duffy (5th in the state) at either 132 or 138 pounds. Second, RFH’s Sonny Amato, who has placed first and third in the state championships, could square off against either Will Sakoutis (28-12) or Randall Jenks (17-12) at 150. Sakoutis could also be paired with junior Wyatt Fry, a regarded transfer from Wyoming Seminary (Pa.). The other Fry in the RFH lineup, Eamon (41-8) could see either sophomore Sean Kenny (3rd in the state), Brick Memorial transfer Sonny DiMatteo (32-9) or junior Kellen Duffy (10-15) at 120.
Friday, Jan. 9
No. 7 Southern at No. 11 Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0), 7: Southern will be looking for payback in this one after a 39-27 loss to RFH last season. RFH swept the final four bouts from 175 to 285 pounds and wiped out a 27-20 deficit. There is the possibility of a bout between Southern’s Cade Collins (7th in the state) and RFH’s Eamon Fry at 120.
Tuesday, Jan 13
No. 19 Lower Cape May at Middle Township, 7: This will be a highly anticipated matchup after Middle Township defeated Lower Cape May, 34-33, in an epic and controversial South Jersey Group 2 final a year ago. The Caper Tigers bring back most of the nucleus from last year’s team and added region champion Tristan Rosemeyer. Middle Township returns most of its light and middle weights but took heavy losses in the upper weights. Lower Cape May crowned six champions at the Pete Adams tournament, while Middle Township earned three titles at the same event.
Wednesday, Jan. 14
No. 8 Paramus Catholic at No. 6 Bergen Catholic, 7: The Paladins won’t be at the Catholic School Duals and this could be one of the more evenly-matched duals between the North Jersey non-public powers. It’s a Big North Conference matchup that went in favor of the Crusaders last year 53-19, but Paramus Catholic won it 40-30 in 2024 and it came down to the last bout in 2023 that the Crusaders won 28-26. Bergen Catholic brings back four state medalists and four state qualifiers. Paramus Catholic welcomes back a state finalist in senior Seach Hibler and six more state qualifiers.
Monday, Jan. 19
No. 18 Phillipsburg at No. 11 Rumson-Fair Haven, 11:30: This match between the No. 18 Stateliners and No. 11 Bulldogs will carry a ton of power points to the winner.
Wednesday, Jan. 21
St. John Vianney at No. 11 Rumson-Fair Haven (2-0), 7: There are questions about just how good SJV will be this winter but this dual will go a long way toward answering some of them. Vianney returns six state qualifiers including Bubba Garvish, who was seventh in NJ at 165 pounds.
Washington Township at Kingsway, 6: This has developed into a good rivalry over the last few years. In 2022-2023 and 2023-24, Washington Township knocked off Kingsway during the regular season only to see the Dragons win the rematch in the Minutemens’ gym in the South Jersey Group 5 semifinal. Township won a third straight regular-season meeting last year but there was no playoff rematch and the Minutemen reached the final. Kingsway will be looking to get its win back this season.
Wednesday, Jan. 28
No. 7 Southern at No. 4 Christian Brothers (2-0), 6: Last year, CBA prevailed, 45-21, before a packed house in Manahawkin. The match should be between the best non-public and top public schools in the Shore Conference. CBA is No. 4 and Southern No. 7 in the NJ.com Preseason Wrestling Top 20. There could be some terrific individual pairings including Southern’s Cade Collins (40-10, 7th in the state) and Sean Duffy (32-6, 3rd in the state) at 120; Southern’s Anthony Mason (two-time state placer) and Paul Kenny (defending state champ) at 126 and CBA’s Tyler Palumbo (18-10, 6th in the state) meeting Levi Foote (37-7) at 215.
Thursday, Jan. 29
No. 1 Delbarton at Blair, 7: It doesn’t get better than Delby-Blair on the mat as these two have wrestled to the final bout in each of the last four meetings. In 2025, Delbarton got over the hump against the Bucs with an Auggie Moser decision win over TJ Kellas at heavyweight. The Green Wave always wrestle a national schedule that this year includes Faith Christian Academy (PA), Malvern Prep (PA), Wyoming Seminary (PA) and other powers, but Blair is the headliner. Delbarton comes into this season as NJ.com’s No. 1-ranked squad thanks to the return of nine state medalists, including three champions in junior two-timer Cam Sontz, reigning NJ.com Wrestler of the Year Jayden James, and junior Ryan DeGeorge.
Friday, Jan. 30
Jefferson at Newton, 7: Newton has its first dual of the season on Tuesday at Wayne Hills, but Jan. 30 will mark a big night for the Braves as they celebrate the 100th year of their wrestling program. The Braves are also anticipating a much-improved campaign on the mat in the 25th season at the helm for head coach Eric Bollette. Bollette sits just six wins away from 300 for his career. Is it possible we see win No. 300 on Jan. 30? Newton is selling clothing to commemorate the year that can be found on its wrestling social media pages.
Saturday, Jan. 31
Caldwell at No. 10 Delsea, 10: Caldwell has quickly established itself as one of North Jersey’s top Group 2 schools over the last two years as they’ve won back-to-back North 2, Group 2 section titles and gave Rumson all it could handle in last year’s Group 2 final. Led by Navy-bound state medalist Carmine Sipper and three other returning state qualifiers, including two — Solomon Soriente and Rocco Conforti — who knocked off state medalists already this season. Delsea, meanwhile, brought in a state medalist of its own in Anthony Depaul, who transferred from St. Augustine and the Crusaders are off to a strong start already this season as they look to repeat as Group 3 champs.
Tuesday, Feb. 3
No. 17 St. Augustine at No. 19 Lower Cape May, 5:30: St. Augustine has dominated the Cape-Atlantic League, losing just one match since 2012. Last year, the Hermits routed a then-undefeated Caper Tiger team, 56-15, with nine freshmen in the lineup. Most of those freshmen are back as sophomores this year, but Lower Cape May is better and more experienced than it was a year ago and should close the gap. Winning the match, though? The Hermits have shown over the last 14 years that’s a tough task.
Wednesday, Feb. 4
No. 10 Delsea at No. 17 St. Augustine, 7: This was one of the best matches of the 2024-2025 season a year ago with the Hermits pulling up the upset on the final weight, 35-34. This is annually a competitive match and this year should be no different. Delsea opened up the season last week with. 48-24 win over West Deptford before competing at the Robin Leff Tournament at Southern, where the Hermits also opened their season.
Friday, Feb. 6
Paulsboro at West Deptford, 6: Paulsboro notched one of the most memorable wins in this rivalry a year ago when girl wrestler Sheyna Cruz scored a pin to help lead the Red Raiders to a 36-27 victory. Paulsboro coach Paul Morina became the state’s all-time winningest wrestling coach with his 803rd victory. Cruz won’t be able to duplicate the feat this year and NJSIAA rules don’t allow girls to compete in boys duals any more. But this should be another competitive match. Two seasons ago, West Deptford snapped a losing streak against the Red Raiders that dated back to 1968.
No. 18 Phillipsburg at No. 13 Don Bosco Prep, 6: This is matchup that’s over a decade in the making, as it marks the first time the Stateliners have willingly gone out of their way to put a Non-Public team on the schedule in over a decade. While two state medalists are gone for the Liners, they have four state qualifiers back while Bosco has three medalists back in Brown commit Nevin Mattessich (7th at 190), Cornell commit Santino Rodriguez (3rd at 165) and Columbia commit Dante DeLuca (2nd at 215). Phillipsburg has long been a public state power, and this match could further cement their status in the upper echelons.
Saturday, Feb. 7
No. 10 Delsea (1-0) at No. 7 Southern, 12:30: A tantalizing match-up against the multi-time group champions. Delsea, ranked No. 10 in the preseason, was 21-2 last winter. Delsea is under the direction of new head coach Kurt DeWoody. Delsea returns state placewinners Sal Marchese and Anthony DePaul, the latter who transferred from St. Augustine. Amari Vann, Greyson Petit and Cameron Pote are also returning state qualifiers. Southern kept its streak of Group 5 state titles going. These have been the state’s two best public schools the last few years, and this season will decide it on the mat. The Rams are led by state finalist Anthony Mason and state placewinner Cade Collins.